"Can't I go with you?" asked the young man, rousing himself.
"I think not. She told you to keep away, and it is only right that you should obey her. To-morrow I will go up; and when I return you shall know all that has passed between us. Meantime, I have a painful story to tell you and Geoffrey.
"Oh!" said Heron, quickly. "More about this case?"
"Yes: I think we are getting near the truth now. I have made several important discoveries. By the way, Geoffrey, Ruth will see you to-morrow; she is not very well--in fact, she had rather a severe shock to-day."
"This confounded case, of course!" remarked Heron, forming his own conclusions; and naturally enough, for his mind was now wholly occupied with Mr. Cass's promised revelation.
"Yes; about the case," said Mr. Cass again. "I want you to give me your closest attention. And, first, both of you must promise me to say nothing of what I have told you until I have given you leave. For the matter concerns a member of my family."
And forthwith he plunged into the middle of the exciting history, and told it with as much detail as he could remember. It was necessary to make things perfectly clear to his listeners, as he relied upon their judgment to help him out of the cul-de-sac into which the whole affair was now wedged. At the conclusion of the story Neil, who had been more or less excited throughout, although he had refrained from interruption, jumped up and began to pace the room.
"There isn't the slightest doubt," he said, "that Job Lovell killed my father to get possession of that pocket-book.
"I thought you would say that," said Mr. Cass, drily; "and what do you say, Heron?"
"It seems probable that Job did kill the man," said Heron, with a grave nod. "Marshall, you say, Mr. Cass, was in this house at the time: your sister had got back to her bedroom. Now, only these two knew that the bill was in the pocket-book or had any interest in getting it."